Abstract
Acute Respiratory Infections is the fifth addition to the Oxford Respiratory Medicine Library (ORML). In keeping with the series titles, it is published as a pocket book, which is portable, accessible and follows a practical format that is easy to read and suits the busy health care professional. Each chapter is preceded by a summary of the key points and is complemented by key tables, algorithms, illustrated using relevant radiology and ends with recommendations that refer to the latest evidence base for further reading.
Infections of the respiratory tract are a common cause for consultation and presentation in both primary and secondary care, respectively. Nevertheless, respiratory infections can be challenging and in the acute setting, there is a paucity of texts that deal with this vast subject area in a concise and succinct manner.
This text focuses on the most common and difficult to manage infections that are likely to be encountered in primary and secondary care. Infections in the immunocompromised are separated into those in patients with HIV co-infection and those with haematological disorders, which is useful from a practical perspective. In the latter group, a diagnostic algorithm based on the radiological appearance of consolidation, ground glass, tree in bud and so on is particularly useful as management decisions are often dictated by the correlation of clinical findings to the radiology.
Surprisingly, tuberculosis, which is on the rise in the United Kingdom and can often pose a diagnostic conundrum in the acute setting, is only presented in the context of HIV infection rather than in separate chapter unlike Legionnaires’ disease. I would say this is a major omission of the text. The chapter on pleural infection is particularly well written and illustrated and provides information on all the various treatment modalities that are available to the managing physician.
The recent flu pandemic and its management as well as that of pneumococcal disease and its vaccination is summarised well in the last couple of chapters and provides a useful aide-memoire for both the primary and secondary care physician.
Overall, the text serves as a useful reference in the busy GP surgery or ward environment and would also be a useful revision aid for medical students and also respiratory specialist trainees preparing for the UK specialist certificate examination (SCE) in respiratory medicine. I would recommend this text be kept in all surgeries, medical admissions units and respiratory wards that look after patients with acute respiratory infections.